BOULDER — The 2012-13 University of Colorado women’s basketball schedule features 17 regular season home dates and up to 13 games against teams that participated in postseason events a year ago, head coach Linda Lappe announced on Thursday.

In addition, the Buffaloes face a full slate of Pac-12 Conference foes as well as schools from two, and potentially three, of the other power conferences.

After a home exhibition game against Western State (Colo.) on Friday, Nov. 2, Colorado officially kicks off its 39th season of varsity women’s basketball by hosting Idaho on Sunday, Nov. 11. The Buffaloes, continuing a recent trend of an early-preseason road game, will then travel to play UMKC on Sunday, Nov. 18, providing a chance for incoming freshman guard Kyleesha Weston to play in her home town.

For the 26th consecutive season, the Buffaloes will host a Thanksgiving weekend tournament. Tabbed the Omni Hotels Classic for the fourth time, Colorado welcomes in Auburn of the Southeastern Conference, 2012 NCAA Tournament participant San Diego State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Nov. 23-24. CU will take on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the first round on Friday while Auburn and San Diego State will clash in the opener. The consolation and championship games follow on Saturday.

Three of the next four games are against Rocky Mountain regional rivals, starting with Wyoming at the Coors Events Center on Wednesday, Nov. 28. After a road contest at Illinois of the Big Ten Conference on Tuesday, Dec. 11, the Buffaloes return home for the annual Colorado State clash on Wednesday, Dec. 5. The region tour ends with a game at Denver on Tuesday, Dec. 11.

Colorado will play a string of six straight at home, spanning the end of the nonconference schedule and the beginning of its second Pac-12 campaign. Tipping off that stretch is a first-ever matchup with Louisville out of the Big East Conference on Friday, Dec. 14, at the Coors Events Center. After a 23-10 record and second round NCAA Tournament appearance in 2011-12, the Cardinals are a popular pick for early preseason Top 10 consideration.

The Buffaloes close out the calendar year 2012, and their preseason schedule by hosting Utah Valley on Saturday, Dec. 22, and New Mexico on Saturday, Dec. 29.

With the exception of games against its travel partner, Utah, Colorado will play a Friday-Sunday Pac-12 schedule, a change from last year’s Thursday-Saturday set up. It is important to note however, that several dates and order of opponents are likely to change when the new Pac-12 Network announces its broadcast schedule later this fall.

Colorado’s game with Louisville will provide a good test to the beginning of the Pac-12 season. The Buffaloes play five of their first six league games at home, but the first five will be against teams that advanced to 2012 postseason play.

It all begins with the crème of the crop, as defending league champion and 2012 NCAA Women’s Final Four participant Stanford visits Boulder on Friday, Jan. 4. Conference runner-up California, the Pac-12’s other NCAA Tournament participant from 2012, visits on Sunday, Jan. 6.

The Buffaloes will play back-to-back with their travel partner and WNIT qualifier Utah. The teams will play in Boulder on Wednesday, Jan. 9, and then meet up again in Salt Lake City three days later on Saturday, Jan. 12. Colorado ends this stretch with home games against Arizona State (Jan. 18) and Arizona (Jan. 20).

With five of its first six Pac-12 games at home, the equalizer is a four-game road trip to the California schools. The Buffaloes will reunite with California (Jan. 25) and Stanford (Jan. 27) in the Bay Area before visiting UCLA (Feb. 1) and USC (Feb. 3) for the only regular season meeting with the Southern California schools.

Colorado returns home for 2012 WNIT participant Oregon State (Feb. 8), followed by Oregon (Feb. 10). The Buffaloes then have rematches at Arizona (Feb. 15) and Arizona State (Feb. 17).

CU closes out the home schedule with its only contests against the Washington schools that next weekend. The Buffaloes host Washington State (Feb. 22) before meeting up with fellow WNIT quarterfinalist Washington (Feb. 24) on Senior Day. Colorado finishes the regular season at Oregon (Mar. 1) and Oregon State (Mar. 3).

Colorado does have a trip to Washington on the docket, as Seattle will host the 2013 Pacific Life Pac-12 Conference Tournament, March 7-10, at KeyArena. The men’s and women’s Pac-12 Tournaments are playing separate dates and locales for the first time since 2008, as the CU men will defend their title in Las Vegas, March 13-16.

Returning four starters, and coming off its first 20-win campaign in eight seasons, Colorado has special incentive to make an NCAA Tournament run. The Boulder campus is one of 16 first-and-second round hosts for the 2013 NCAA Tournament, with games to be played at the Coors Events Center March 23 & 25.

2012-13 women's basketball season tickets, which start as low as $50, will be on sale soon. To get your name on the waitlist contact the CU Athletic Ticket Office at 303-49-BUFFS (303-492-8337) or email cutix@colorado.edu.

DATE

OPPONENT

LOCATION

Friday, Nov. 2

WESTERN STATE (Exhibition)

BOULDER

Sunday, Nov. 11

IDAHO

BOULDER

Sunday, Nov. 18

at UMKC

Kansas City, Mo.

Nov. 23-24

&-26th ANNUAL OMNI HOTELS CLASSIC

Friday, Nov. 23

&-Auburn vs. San Diego State

BOULDER

&-TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI

BOULDER

Saturday, Nov. 24

&-Consolation

BOULDER

&-Championship

BOULDER

Wednesday, Nov. 28

WYOMING

BOULDER

Saturday, Dec. 1

at Illinois

Champaign, Ill.

Wednesday, Dec. 5

COLORADO STATE

BOULDER

Tuesday, Dec. 11

at Denver

Denver, Colo.

Friday, Dec. 14

LOUISVILLE

BOULDER

Saturday, Dec. 22

UTAH VALLEY

BOULDER

Saturday, Dec. 29

NEW MEXICO

BOULDER

Friday, Jan. 4

*STANFORD

BOULDER

Sunday, Jan. 6

*CALIFORNIA

BOULDER

Wednesday, Jan. 9

*UTAH

BOULDER

Saturday, Jan. 12

*at Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

Friday, Jan. 18

*ARIZONA STATE

BOULDER

Sunday, Jan. 20

*ARIZONA

BOULDER

Friday, Jan. 25

*at California

Berkeley, Calif.

Sunday, Jan. 27

*at Stanford

Stanford, Calif.

Friday, Feb. 1

*at UCLA

Los Angeles, Calif.

Sunday, Feb. 3

*at USC

Los Angeles, Calif.

Friday, Feb. 8

*OREGON STATE

BOULDER

Sunday, Feb. 10

*OREGON

BOULDER

Friday, Feb. 15

*at Arizona

Tucson, Ariz.

Sunday, Feb. 17

*at Arizona State

Tempe, Ariz.

Friday, Feb. 22

*WASHINGTON STATE

BOULDER

Sunday, Feb. 24

*WASHINGTON

BOULDER

Friday, Mar. 1

*at Oregon

Eugene, Ore.

Sunday, Mar. 3

*at Oregon State

Corvallis, Ore.

March 7-10

Pac-12 Tournament

Seattle, Wash.

March 23 & 25

NCAA 1st & 2nd Rounds

BOULDER

March 30-April 2

NCAA Regionals

TBA

April 7 & 9

NCAA Women’s Final Four

New Orleans, La.

All Home Games In BOLD CAPS
*-Pac-12 Conference Game
&-Omni Hotels Classic, BoulderTimes Are TBA, All Dates are subject to change